Taiwanese navy accidentally fires HYPERSONIC MISSILE at fishing vessel as tensions with enemies China ratcheted up
One fisherman killed and three other injured as rocket heads towards China and slams into trawler
TAIWAN has accidentally fired a hypersonic missile towards regional enemies China - killing a local fisherman.
Three others were injured when the Hsiung Feng III rocket slammed into the vessel off the coast of Taiwan.
It had been accidentally set off while a patrol boat was being inspected at a naval base.
Government officials were quick to deny it was a sabre-rattling move aimed at riling bitter neighbours China.
The missiles fired are capable carrying nuclear warheads and travelling at speeds of up to 5,000mph.
The tiny island declared independence from the mainland following the Chinese Communist revolution in the late 1940s.
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Beijing often fires threats about re-taking the territory and has an arsenal of weapons pointed at the island.
And the latest error is unlikely to soothe fractured relations between the neighbours.
The missile flew 50 miles out to sea before landing on the ship - killing its Taiwanese captain and injuring three more.
A defence ministry spokesman was quick to deny the act was planned.
Chen Chung-chi said: "It is not the case that this is politically motivated, or to create crisis."
Five commanding officers have been disciplined following the incident.
One, Petty Officer Kao Chia-chun, 33, is believed to have wrongly armed four missiles before seeing two of them off.
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